Hola chicas! I'm back with another chapter of this series. This one's a bit more angsty than normal so be prepared! A few points before I get to the chapter:
1, Marilleur, the title of this chapter is a mix of the words 'mari', which means husband, and 'meillur, which means best. Maybe you can guess what happened to the akumatised villain?
2. I realise some of you feel I haven't included enough Chloe content, considering this is also about her. Captain Hardrock was made mainly to develop Adrien and Marinette's relationship but I promise, there is more Chloe development in this chapter and the next!
3. There is a reccuring name from a few of my other stories in here and if you spot it, kudos to you :-)
Anyways, onto the story!
"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Scarlet Bug, Chat Noir and Marigold have, once again, saved Paris from an akumatized villain!" Nadja Chamack excitedly reported. She gestured to the ladybug-themed superhero and continued, "Here with me now is Scarlet Bug. Anything to say?"
"Oh, same old," Scarlet Bug grinned. "These akumas are getting a lot easier nowadays, though. I could probably do them all myself! Not that I ever needed those two sidekicks." She jutted her head towards Chat and Marigold, who were comforting the civilian who was akumatized.
"Really!" Nadja's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Let's see what they have to say about that!" Scarlet began to protest indignantly but the reporter ignored her and rushed over to the duo and asked, "Marigold, Chat Noir, anything to say about akuma attacks recently? Have they become easier in any way?"
Chat beamed happily and announced, "Well, this cat's lives last a lot longer now that I have an incredible partner like Marigold!" He slung his around her shoulders.
Blushing lightly, Marigold chuckled, "This kitty gives me too much credit! Without him, this city would be a lot less safe."
"Well, you too seem pretty content with your partnership. What about Scarlet Bug? How does she fit into your trio?"
At her name, both superheroes' faces fell but Marigold plastered a strained smile on her face, replying tightly, "Scarlet is… the reason everything goes back to normal. Without her, all the destruction from akumas would take forever to clean up!" Chat nodded in agreement and squeezed Marigold's shoulder, smiling supportively at her.
Nadja turned back to the camera and finished, "There you have it, Paris! We are in safe hands, protected by our golden trio!"
In a flat nearby, a couple were watching the interview on the TV. "Aww, Chat Noir and Marigold are so adorable! Don't you agree, Lucien?" The woman turned to look at her boyfriend.
Lucien was biting his nails and bouncing his leg, absently replying, "Yeah, whatever."
"And Chat Noir is sooo perfect," she continued to gush. "He's chivalrous and sweet and, god, don't get me started on those abs!" (A/N: oh god, if only she knew his age) "I wish more men were like that."
"Don't you think it's too good to be true, Angelique?" Lucien sat up slightly. "Like, the miraculous is probably giving him qualities that make him more attractive to possible mates. You know, cos he's a cat."
Angelique shook her head and smiled, "Nah, he's too authentic for that. He's perfect."
A little unsettled by his girlfriend being seemingly smitten with this superhero, Lucien shook his head before beginning nervously, "Um, I was meant to do this at a cafe but since the akuma attack happened, I guess I'll do it here." He got up and dropped down to one knee in front of Angelique. She didn't gasp at the sight, only raising her eyebrow in curiosity. Lucien brought out a small black box and began nervously, "Angelique, my love, my life. When I look into my heart, I see only you. If you can look into your heart and see only me, then we should spend the rest of our lives together. I can't imagine a life without you in it. I want to grow old with you. Let's spend the rest of our lives together. Since the day we first met, my feelings for you have only grown stronger. I want to seal our bond forever. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?"
Angelique blinked three times before bursting out in hysterical laughter. She kept trying to stop but at the sight of her boyfriend kneeling down, she would just begin laughing again. When she finally calmed down, Lucien had a bitter expression and had stood up. "Ohh, I'm sorry, Lucien," Angelique giggled, dabbing the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry, was my proposal funny to you?" he asked angrily.
Angelique nodded and replied seriously, "That was one of the funniest things I've ever heard."
"How?"
Angelique sighed, "Wow, Where should I start? First off, that proposal speech sounded like a bunch of proposal quotes off of Pinterest. It wasn't personalised in any way whatsoever and you said 'spend the rest of our lives' like 5 times."
"It was actually only three times," Lucien mumbled bitterly but his girlfriend just continued her rant.
"Second of all, even if you had tried to personalise it in anyway, I'm sure you would have said some rubbish that had absolutely nothing to do with me because we barely know each other. Do you know what I studied at university?"
Lucien blinked and stammered, "I-I mean, the t-topic never- We never r-really talked-"
Angelique stopped him with her hand and exclaimed, "See! We know literally nothing about each other - we're just two strangers that are supposedly dating and living together. Last of all, you literally put no effort into our relationship. I'm the one who proposed moving in together, I'm the one who schedules our dates, I'm the one who cooks the meals, gets the spontaneous presents, hell, I'm the one who initiates any sex!" She took a breath for a second before sighing, "Look, Lucien, I'm not angry. I'm just tired of being with someone who isn't invested in the relationship. And now you're proposing? And I know you enough that you're gonna say 'I thought it was the next right thing to do, and I'll be better!' So save me the pleas. I didn't want to do this right after the akuma attack but I think we need to split. This isn't going anywhere."
Lucien opened his mouth to protest but Angelique interrupted, "If I have to give you any advice, just so you don't make the same mistakes, be more like Chat Noir! He's a really good guy and you should take notes. I'm gonna go pack up my stuff - I suggest you give that ring to your friend Adam. He seems to be on the verge of proposing to Dominique, who I'm sure you've said about 4 words to." She stood up and patted him on the shoulder before walking towards their bedroom.
A distraught Lucien dropped to his knees and thought resentfully, "This is all Chat Noir's fault! Without him, Angelique would've said yes. No guy is really all that caring." He felt himself go blind with jealousy and rage and he roared, throwing the remote control at the television with all his might. It left a large crack in the glass.
Before he could fully process what he had done, a deep voice began to speak in his ear. "Marilleur, I am Hawk Moth. Your love was taken away from you because a superhero was unrealistically perfect. I'll give you the power to trap anyone in your way of being with whomever you want, as long as you give me two other pieces of jewelry."
Lucien grinned evilly and replied, "No one will stand between Angelique and I, not even that mangy kitten!"
In Le Grand Paris Hotel, Chloe flipped out her computer and began searching for a video of Nadja Chamack's news report of the most recent akuma. While searching, she called out to Tikki, "Do you think what Marigold said was right? That I'm just the one that makes everything pretty after she and Chat do all the fighting?"
"Hmm, lemme think…" Tikki pretended to ponder before exclaiming, Yes, I agree with her! You still do basically nothing in attacks, Chloe. At least now that Marigold's here, some of the workload is taken off Chat Noir!"
Chloe gasped, "That's terrible! What if all of Paris starts to think I'm their sidekick? I can't afford to lose any fans - not when I've done such a good job of building my fanbase."
Tikki rolled her eyes and muttered, "And here I thought you were actually going to say something worthwhile." She flew off, leaving Chloe.
The blonde ignored the kwami and upon finding the video, exclaimed, "Aha!" She scrolled down to the comments and read aloud what different accounts had said. "'Marigold only scratched the surface of what Scarlet Bug does! I'm sure all her hard work is behind the scenes.' That sounds pretty alright to me!" Chloe smiled, satisfied. However, her eyes trailed down to a reply to that comment. "'Have you ever seen any of this supposed hard work?' Um, excuse me?" Another user replied, 'Yeah… I'm starting to be suspicious that Chat and Marigold are the only ones who do any actual work.' That reply had 45 likes.
Chloe exhaled forcefully and flopped back on her bed. "Ever since Marigold got here, the attention isn't remaining fully on moi!" she whined petulantly. "Why can't everyone just accept that I am the best and most exceptional superhero in all of Paris?" A small pout appeared on her face and she sighed again.
Suddenly, she got an akuma alert on her phone. She turned over and grabbed it, opening the notification. "This is Nadja Chamack, reporting live from the Trocadero. A mysterious supervillain by the name of 'Marilleur' has been sighted, wrapping police officers in chains of what seem to be made of engagement rings!" In the background, Chloe could see a man in a black suit, creaseless white shirt and black bowtie. His hair was sexily mussed up and Chloe had to admit, he looked rather dashing. Behind him was a woman with a worried expression on her face. It looked as if she was wrapped in the engagement ring chains.
"Chat Noir!" he yelled, a sinful grin on his face. "Come here and fight me! Let my beautiful fiancée here see who is the real man! Let me assure you, I will win."
Rolling her eyes, Chloe huffed, "Men. So primitive!" She turned her phone over and flopped onto her back, preparing to wait until Chat and Marigold freed the akuma when she was suddenly struck with an idea. "What if I swing around a bit and show up for a few minutes so it looks like I've helped!" she pondered before grinning. "Yes! That should convince everyone that I am a vital part of this superhero team!" The blonde stood up and called out, "Tikki. Tikki! TIKKI!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" the kwami yelled, flying back into the room. "Why are you so rude all the time? If you're going to do nothing, at least leave me alone!"
Laughing snootily, Chloe said, "You've got it all wrong, bug-face. I'm going to prove that I am more important than Marigold and Chat combined!"
Tikki's face lit up and she asked hopefully, "So you're gonna help them?"
Chloe scoffed, "Pff, are you that dumb? Of course not! I'll just swing about a bit."
Tikki sighed disappointedly and muttered, "Just transform already."
"Be patient! Spots on!" Scarlet Bug immediately leapt out of her window and began swinging towards the Trocadero. When she glanced below, she could see civilians pointing up at her and she smirked. "My plan is working!" When she got close, she spotted Chat Noir and Marigold standing on a nearby rooftop, assessing the situation. She dropped down behind them and declared, "It is I, the most important member of this team!"
Marigold turned and gaped at the sight of the absentee superheroine. "Scarlet? What are you doing here?"
Chat also inserted, "Yeah, we haven't released the akuma yet."
Scarlet filled her hair and replied, "I know but I'm here to help with… other things." She looked at her nails and randomly told them, "You know, you two are so unimportant. Like that baker girl, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
Chat's expression immediately became murderous and he bit out in a deadly quiet voice, "Excuse me?" He raised a hand slightly and flexed his claws before Marigold placed a hand on his chest and shook her head. Pulling a hand down his face in exasperation, Chat sighed, "Okay, Goldie, we're still gonna do the plan. We attack him from both sides until you're close enough to call Venom and distract him while I somehow get the engagement ring off his finger. And Scarlet? Please, just stay here. We don't need you messing anything up."
With that, the two superheroes leapt down to the center of the Trocadero. Scarlet watched as Chat made a pun and Marigold goaded the supervillain before they began to attack. "Ugh, how dare they leave me here like some… child!" She stomped childishly before glancing up to see Nadja and her crew filming from a helicopter. Grinning to herself, Scarlet Bug looked back down at Chat and Marigold fighting seamlessly together. "Ok, I'm gonna do a flip, land in the middle of the fight and then swing back out. Nadja will catch it all on video and my reputation will be fixed!"
She nodded determinedly to herself and took a few steps back before running and leaping off the rooftop. She did a frontflip and all was going well until she landed fully on top of Chat Noir. "Scarlet, what are you doing?" he groaned before rolling Scarlet off him and standing up, pulling her with him. She was about to answer him when Marilleur shot a chain directly at her. Chat pushed her out of the way, getting hit by the chain instead. His arms were wrapped tightly against his sides and he growled in frustration when he couldn't escape. Smirking at the supervillain, he teased, "Well, this takes 'shackled' to a whole new level."
Marilleur turned to him and a twisted grin appeared on his face. "I did warn you, cat-boy. I am the bigger man between us." Marigold ran towards them, attempting to hit Marilleur but he just shot more chains at her, this time binding her ankles and wrists. "Now, you're going to pay for brainwashing my sweet fiancée into thinking you're better than me in any way!" He pointed his left hand towards one wall, then pointed it to the other. Large chains began sprouting from the brick and shot out to grab Chat's ankles and wrists. They pulled him until he was suspended between the two walls, hanging somewhat loosely.
Marigold yelled from the ground below, "Chat, I'll help you get out! Wait- Scarlet, you're free, right?" She frantically looked around but the ladybug superheroine was gone. "Argh, Chat don't worry!"
Laughing wickedly, Marilleur hissed, "You really think you'll be able to save him? How naive. You'll be here to watch his torture too, along with my gorgeous fiancée."
Angelique shouted from her prison, "Lucien, you need to accept that I said no! Nothing you do will change that!"
The supervillain roared, "I am not Lucien, I am Marilleur! And I am the best husband material in the whole of Paris! You need to accept that, my love! No one is better than me. Especially not this useless piece of nothing!" He clenched his fist and the chains holding Chat up pulled tighter, stretching him out more.
A purple outline of a butterfly appeared over the furious suprvillain's face and Hawk Moth began speaking. "You can have your fun with Chat Noir but don't forget to get me my miraculous!"
"Patience, Hawk Moth!" Marilleur grinned. "All in good time."
He turned back to Chat and slowly tightened the chains even more, pulling Chat's limbs to a point where he was crying out in pain. The cat-themed superhero thought about using cataclysm butcthe likelihood of being captured again, especially since he was weakened, was too high. His identity needed to remain a secret. Marigold watched helplessly, screaming for him to stop. It seemed Marilleur was going to dislocate all of Chat's joints when, to Marigold's shock, Scarlet Bug swang back in. "Hey, you started without me!" she whined.
Marilleur smirked and muttered, "Time to squash the bug." Scarlet began hitting him again and again with her yoyo while the supervillain deflected her shots with his chain of rings. After a while, Scarlet began to get tired and Marilleur got closer and closer to her, thrashing relentlessly. "You're all pathetic!" he exclaimed gleefully. "The bee is too weak to do anything while her so called partner is being stretched like a rubber band." At this, Scarlet looked up to see Chat's limbs being pulled as tight as possible and she gasped in horror. With her momentarily distracted, Marilluer began hitting her again and again, punctuating each word with a brutal thrash of the chains. "And you. You are nothing but weak. Pathetic. Helpless. Nothing." Scarlet fell to the ground and cried out in excruciating pain. "Can't even get up to fight little old me." They had never encountered an akuma as cruel as this. Even Hawk Moth was struggling to comprehend just how powerful it was. "Now, back to this pesky alley-cat."
Scarlet Bug watched in horror as Marilleur pulled Chat's limbs even more. Suddenly, her yoyo slid towards the supervillain's foot and hit his dress shoe. Looking down to see the interruption, he picked up the magical weapon. He turned around but before he could comment, Marigold begged, "P-please don't pull it, it's tangled around m-my ankle, if you pull, it'll b-break it."
Marilleur cackled maliciously, "Oh, take a look everyone! You're so-called heroes begging for mercy! What a pleasing sight." He pointed his left hand at the floor a few metres in front of them and a chain shot out, wrapping around the yoyo. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not in a merciful mood right now. Try again later."
He clenched his fist and the chain tightened, pulling the yoyo. Above them, Chat cried hoarsely, "Marigold, no!"
Marilleur sniggered but was shocked when he heard the sound of chains breaking. He spun around to see Marigold lunging towards him. With no time to prepare himself, he was knocked onto his back and an elbow was thrown into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Marigold hissed in his face, a deadly glint in her eyes, "Who's naive now? Who's pathetic now?" She stood up slightly and stomped hard on his left ring finger, cracking the akumatized object.
A black butterfly flew out but luckily, Scarlet captured it before it could get very far. The superheroine called out, "Miraculous Ladybug!" and watched as ladybugs swept over the whole area, bringing it back to normal.
The chains holding Chat Noir up vanished and he dropped to the ground. Marigold rushed towards him and helped him stand up before throwing her arms round him, crying, "Oh god, Chat, I thought I was going to lose you!" Before he could reciprocate, she pulled away and examined his shoulders and knees, asking frantically, "A-are you okay? Did the miraculous fix everything?"
Chat grabbed her cheeks and lifted her up, reassuring, "I'm fine Marigold. All thanks to you." He pressed her forehead against his and smiled. "You're incredible." Chat wrapped his arms around her back and held on tight. When they finally broke apart, the duo looked around but were shocked to see no Scarlet Bug waiting for an interview or more media coverage. What they did see, however, was Lucien kneeling and watching Angelique leave him in the middle of the Trocadero. Marigold felt her face twist up in a murderous sneer and she was about to go confront him when Chat held her shoulders back. "Remember, Goldie, it's not their fault," he reminded her softly.
She slumped and nodded, mumbling dejectedly, "I know. But he hurt you." She looked at him, pain evident in her eyes.
Chat smiled at her again and replied, "I'm fine. Let's go check on him." They cautiously walked over to the defeated figure and Chat began, "Are… you okay?"
Lucien looked up, tears streaming down his face, and asked, "How bad was I?" At Chat's glance towards Marigold, the civilian sighed shakily. "You don't need to give me the 'go seek therapy' talk. Just let me go home." With that, he stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged away from the Trocadero.
The duo watched him leave before Chat told Marigold, "I'll deal with patrol tonight?" She tried to protest but Chat shushed her. "It's final, Goldie. You seem pretty shaken so go home and rest."
The second Chloe swung into her bedroom and called off her transformation, she ran to her bathroom sink and sobbed freely. Even Tikki was shocked to see the usually rude, self-obsessed teen so broken. Ten minutes passed before the tears started to subside. "Oh, Tikki," she whimpered. "Chat could've died today! All because I'm so selfish! I'm careless and self-centered and everyone knows it! No one really likes me, not even Sabrina or Kim. I'm hurtful to anyone who isn't rich and oh my god, it would have been my fault if Chat hadn't survived today! If Marigold hadn't been as smart as she always is, he could've died! And you've done nothing to me but try to help me be a better kwami and i've driven you almost to the brink of akumatisation. Why do I do this, Tikki? Why do I do this?" She sniffed and looked up at her mirror, loathing what she saw. "I hate myself!" She threw a nearby hairbrush at herself, leaving a large crack in the glass. "I'm such a terrible person! I don't deserve this miraculous. I don't deserve anything!"
Tikki sat on her shoulder and said softly, "You can grow, Chloe. You can try to be a better person. You just need to make the effort."
The blonde sniffed again and rubbed the snot dripping from her nose. "B-but everyone already sees me as a bully. What if they think I'm just being my bitchy self?"
Tikki shrugged and muttered, "The only way to know is to try."
Chloe looked at her cracked reflection and stared. Stared at the person that most people had come to hate with passion. Stared at the person who used their brokenness to destroy other people. The person who not even her own mother wanted to be around. All the pain she had kept inside came rushing back and backed away from the mirror, sliding down a wall. Could she really do this? Completely reinvent herself? Not for Adrien, like that one time. Not to make her mother see her as 'exceptional'. Not for Scarlet Bug to be the best superheroine. For herself. She wiped her tears away and whispered, "I want to try. I'm going to try." She looked up at Tikki and said meekly, "I'm so sorry. For everything I've said and done to you. I know I'm probably one of the worst holders you've ever had. Will you help me be better? I'm too weak to do it on my own."
Tikki smiled and nodded. "By owning up and acknowledging your mistakes, you've shown just how strong you are, Chloe. I believe in you, you can do this!"
Chloe blinked at the grinning kwami and mumbled back, "I can do this."
Marinette had been crying into her giant cat for a good twenty minutes. Pollen flew up and pleaded, "Please stop crying, my flower! Chat Noir is ok!"
"But he could've died, Pollen!" she cried back. The bluenette shoved her face back into the soft material of the giant teddy and whimpered. Suddenly, she heard a thump on her rooftop and instantly sat up. "Quick, hide, Pollen!" she urged her kwami. Marinette carefully wiped away any stray tears and sang the ABC to herself until her voice sounded moderately normal. She then climbed up onto her balcony and was greeted by the sight of Chat Noir standing in front of her. "H-hey, Chat," she tried to greet him cheerfully but her voice cracked.
The superhero frowned and immediately stepped closer, looking at Marinette's puffy eyes. "You've been crying. Who made you cry, Marinette?"
She thought about denying it but she knew her efforts would be futile. Instead she smiled sadly at the superhero and whispered, "You, Chat."
His frown deepened in conclusion and he cocked his head sideways, like a dog. Marinette felt her heart break a bit more. "What did I do to you?"
"Nothing." Marinette sighed shakily. "But you got hurt badly today."
Chat grinned and joked, "Well, the miraculous brought everything back to normal so this cat's still got at least 4-"
"I thought I would lose you." Marinette's voice was so broken and pained that Chat couldn't help but pull her into a tight embrace. He could feel her sobs and tried to focus on her heartbeat, lest he start crying himself. "I'm sorry," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you enough." Chat didn't understand why she had said that : she was just a civilian. But he held her tighter all the same. Knowing that in that moment, he just needed to be there for her. Marinette began threading her hands through Chat's fluffy hair and he nuzzled into her neck. "Oh, my kitten," she murmured adoringly. "My beautiful kitten."
